Season 2 - Week 1

Question 1

An integral part of Irish traditional music, what percussion instrument resembles a large tambourine (without the bells) and is played using a small stick known as a tipper?

Answer 1

Bodhrán

[pronounced “bahwrawn”]

Question 2

Although not the capital, Burnt Pine is the largest town on what Pacific island? Appropriately, a pine tree features on the flag of this Australian external territory.

Answer 2

Norfolk Island

Question 3

Included on Rolling Stone’s 2012 list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, what 1983 album by U2 includes the songs Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day ?

Answer 3

War

Question 4

A Minister of Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive, who was leader of the North’s Alliance Party at 2016?

Answer 4

Naomi Long

Question 5

Gobo, Wembley and Red are three of the main characters in what 1980s children’s TV series, featuring puppets by Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets? A continuation of this series premiered on Apple TV+ in January 2022.

Answer 5

Fraggle Rock

Question 6

Niall Horan was the only Irish member of what otherwise-British boy band? The band went on hiatus in 2016, after six successful years following their formation on the UK series of The X Factor.

Answer 6

One Direction

Question 7

In the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo , the word “Hebdo” is short for “hebdomadaire”, which translates as what? This word originally comes from the Greek “hebdomás”, and in English refers to a certain frequency of publication which often appears in the title of magazines.

Answer 7

Weekly

Question 8

Name the retired American figure skater who was nominated by Joe Biden in January 2022 to be US ambassador to Belize? Her highly successful career saw her win five World championships in the 1990s and 2000s, and although she never won an Olympic gold medal, she did win silver in the ladies’ singles in 1998 and bronze in 2002.

Answer 8

Michelle Kwan

Question 9

Born in the then-Ottoman Empire city of Smyrna in 1906, name the British designer responsible for two of the most iconic and best-selling British cars of all time: the Morris Minor and the Mini?

Answer 9

Alec Issigonis

Question 10

In February 2021, who became the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl when she recited her poem Chorus of the Captains at Super Bowl LV? Less than three weeks previously, she had come to international attention following her appearance at the inauguration of Joe Biden as US President.

Answer 10

Amanda Gorman

Question 11

Roughly the same size as County Carlow (900km2), what saline body of water is the largest lake in California? It was formed in 1905 when engineers accidentally flooded an ancient dry lake bed while digging an irrigation canal from the Colorado river, in an event which has been called “the greatest environmental disaster in California history”.

Answer 11

Salton Sea

Question 12

What German brand of soft drinks takes its name from a contraction of the Latin phrase meaning “without alcohol”? Founded in 1902, it is nowadays sold in 40 countries.

Answer 12

Sinalco

Question 13

Native to South Africa until hunted to extinction in the late 19th century, the quagga was a subspecies of what mammal?

Answer 13

Zebra

(prompt on “horse”)

Question 14

Mimas, Hyperion and Phoebe are among the largest moons of what planet in our solar system?

Answer 14

Saturn

Question 15

The oldest and most famous long distance walking trail in Ireland, the 130km-long Wicklow Way crosses the Wicklow Mountains and is highly popular among tourists and hikers alike. Its traditional starting point is located in which south Dublin public park, adjacent to the M50 motorway?

Answer 15

Marlay Park

Question 16

Born in England in 1881 to an Irish father, the children’s author Herminie Templeton Kavanagh is best known for a 1903 collection of short stories that was adapted into what often-derided live action Walt
Disney film of 1959?

Answer 16

Darby O’Gill and the Little People

Question 17

Jim Allister is the leader of what hard-line Unionist political party in Northern Ireland? He founded the party in 2007 after splitting from the DUP, and currently is this party’s only representative in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Answer 17

Traditional Ulster Voice / TUV

Question 18

An integral part of Irish traditional music, what Irish woodwind instrument resembles Scottish bagpipes but with a much more melodic and mellow tone? Fittingly, the Irish word in their name translates as “elbow”, since they are played using a bellows pushed in and out by the player’s elbow, instead of being
blown into like typical bagpipes.

Answer 18

Uilleann pipes

[pronounced “illin”]

Question 19

The okapi is an endangered hoofed mammal native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The stripes on its legs lead many people to assume that it is related to the zebra, but in fact its closest living relative is what other African mammal?

Answer 19

Giraffe

Question 20

What 1993 album by U2 includes the songs Stay (Faraway, So Close) and Numb ? It is the band’s only LP to win the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album.

Answer 20

Zooropa

Question 21

Name this American lake from the description? Although it is only the 31st largest lake by area in the US, it is the 6th largest by volume (only surpassed by the five Great Lakes) due to being unusually deep: up to 500 metres in places. Its location on the California-Nevada border makes it a popular tourist destination
in both winter and summer

Answer 21

Lake Tahoe

Question 22

What American brand of decaffeinated instant coffee takes its name from a contraction of the French phrase meaning “without caffeine”? Founded in 1923, it is nowadays one of the many food brands owned by the Kraft Heinz Company.

Answer 22

Sanka

Question 23

Forever associated with the 2002 FIFA World Cup by Irish football fans, the island of Saipan is the largest in what Pacific island group, an unincorporated territory of the United States?

Answer 23

Northern Mariana Islands

Question 24

Born in County Kerry in 1879, Maurice Walsh was one of Ireland’s best selling authors in the 1930s and 1940s, but nowadays is best known primarily for what 1935 short story, adapted into an Oscar-winning 1952 Hollywood film of the same name?

Answer 24

The Quiet Man

Question 25

In the title of the German news magazine Der Spiegel , what does the word “Spiegel” translate as? This English word is an everyday object also mentioned in the title of a well-known British tabloid newspaper.

Answer 25

Mirror

Question 26

Name the retired Ukrainian figure skater who was World Champion in 1993 and won gold in the ladies’ singles at the 1994 Winter Olympics? At the latter event she narrowly beat Nancy Kerrigan to the gold
medal, less than two months after Kerrigan was injured in an infamous attack planned by the ex-husband of rival skater Tonya Harding.

Answer 26

Oksana Baiul

Question 27

In 1993, who became the first female poet to appear at a US presidential inauguration when she recited her poem On the Pulse of Morning at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton?

Answer 27

Maya Angelou

Question 28

The traditional end-point of the Wicklow Way is in what County Carlow village, near the border with County Wexford? The name of this village rhymes with another Irish county, in a completely different part of the country.

Answer 28

Clonegal

Question 29

Jen and Kira, both elf-like creatures known as Gelflings, are the two main protagonists of what 1982 children’s movie, featuring puppets by Jim Henson? A 10-episode prequel TV series aired on Netflix in
2019.

Answer 29

The Dark Crystal

Question 30

Una Healy was the only Irish member of what otherwise-British girl band? Released in 2013, their most recent studio album was appropriately called Living for the Weekend .

Answer 30

The Saturdays

Question 31

Umbriel, Oberon and Ariel are among the largest moons of what planet in our solar system?

Answer 31

Uranus

Question 32

Name the London-born industrial designer who worked for Apple between 1992 and 2019 and was the key figure behind the design of many of the company’s successful and iconic products during this period, including the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad?

Answer 32

Jony Ive

Question 33

“Pertussis” is the medical name for what common childhood illness?

Answer 33

Whooping cough

Question 34

What 80s British band recently released The Tipping Point, their first new album in 18 years?

Answer 34

Tears for Fears

Question 35

Name the goalkeeper from Cork who scored the winning penalty for Liverpool against Chelsea in the recent Carabao Cup final?

Answer 35

Caoimhín Kelleher

Question 36

Who has been the King of Norway since 1991? Name and regnal number required.

Answer 36

Harald V

Question 37

What one-term US President, currently aged 97, is not only the oldest living Commander-in-Chief, but also the longest-lived US president of all time? He is also one of only 4 White House occupants to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer 37

Jimmy Carter

Question 38

Name the English chemist, currently 102 years of age, who in the late 1960s was the first to detect the widespread presence of CFCs in Earth’s atmosphere? He is most famous for a 1970s theory named after a Greek goddess which postulates that the Earth functions as a self-regulating system.

Answer 38

James Lovelock

(of “Gaia hypothesis” fame)

Question 39

Following the death of Olivia de Havilland in 2020, who is currently the oldest living Oscar-winning performer? This 97 year
old American actress won her Oscar in 1955 for On The Waterfront and also memorably played the female lead in
Hitchcock’s North by Northwest .

Answer 39

Eva Marie Saint

Question 40

Despite starring in two highly successful eponymous sitcoms in the 70s and 80s, which American actor and comedian had to wait until 2013 to receive his first Emmy award, for the guest role of Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory ? Now aged 92, younger viewers may recognise him from his supporting role alongside Will Ferrell in Elf .

Answer 40

Bob Newhart

Question 41

The US holding company for what global chain of sandwich shops is named “Doctor’s Associates” - apparently because cofounder Fred DeLuca hoped to use his earnings to pay for medical school? He never did study medicine, but instead became a billionaire when the company expanded to become the largest fast food chain in the world.

Answer 41

Subway

Question 42

Known for the US Number One album Cheap Thrills and the hit single Piece of My Heart , the American band Big Brother
and the Holding Company featured what singer as their lead vocalist in the late 1960s? After going solo, she enjoyed great
success before dying of a heroin overdose in 1970 aged 27.

Answer 42

Janis Joplin

Question 43

Run by billionaire Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway is the vast holding company that includes such well-known American brands as Duracell, Fruit of the Loom and Dairy Queen. Berkshire Hathaway was originally founded in 1955 as a merger of two 19th century companies that both manufactured what product or commodity?

Answer 43

Textiles (accept clothes, yarn, cotton, or other reasonable synonyms)

Question 44

Sounding like something you might eat in Amsterdam, what two-word name is given to a controversial arrangement used
mostly by US multinationals to avoid incurring EU withholding taxes on untaxed profits? It has often been used in
conjunction with the so-called “Double Irish” scheme to minimise the non-US tax burden of Irish-based holding companies.

Answer 44

Dutch Sandwich

Question 45

From the late 1920s until the early 1970s when RTÉ opened their purpose-built Radio Centre in Donnybrook, Irish radio
broadcasting was headquartered in what landmark building on Dublin’s O’Connell Street?

Answer 45

GPO / General Post Office

Question 46

Since the 1970s, the BBC has run two local radio stations in Northern Ireland. The most widely-listened-to station is the
Belfast-based BBC Radio Ulster. What is the name of the other station, located in Derry and named after a local geographic
feature?

Answer 46

BBC Radio Foyle

Question 47

Transferring from Dublin’s Radio Nova in early 2021, The Colm & Lucy Breakfast Show , hosted by Colm Hayes and Lucy
Kennedy, is the flagship morning show of which Irish radio station?

Answer 47

Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio (also accept 4FM or Classic Hits 4FM)

Question 48

Created by Dublin-born writer Lee Dunne and set in the fictional fishing village of Kilmahon, what was the 2-word alliterative title of the longest-running Irish radio drama of all time? It aired every lunchtime on RTÉ Radio 1 between 1975 and 1990.

Answer 48

Harbour Hotel

Question 49

Prompted by a humorous “obituary of English cricket” published in the English media, in what decade was the Ashes series first contested between English and Australia? This is the same decade in which the All-Ireland Senior Football and Senior
Hurling Championships were first held.

Answer 49

1880s

(Ashes: 1882 / All-Irelands 1887)

Question 50

In what decade did Great Britain, Ireland, and the rest of the British Empire switch to using the Gregorian calendar? Later
that same decade, Arthur Guinness signed his famous 9,000-year lease on the St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin.

Answer 50

1750s

(Gregorian calendar: 1752 / Guinness 1759)

Question 51

Introduced in the 1920s in an effort to curb afternoon drinking by workers, the “holy hour” was a mandatory closing of pubs
in Dublin and Cork every afternoon between 2.30pm and 3.30pm. This restriction on weekday drinking was abolished in what decade?

Answer 51

1980s

(1988 to be precise - although restrictions for Sundays continued until 2000)

Question 52

In what decade was Joan of Arc burned at the stake? This decade, which occurred during the reign of King Henry VI of England, also saw Johannes Gutenberg begin work on his landmark printing press and Jan van Eyck paint the Arnolfini
Portrait.

Answer 52

1430s

Question 53

The most recent FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament occurred in 2019 and was hosted in what country? This country has
hosted the men’s FIFA World Cup twice: in 1938 and 1998.

Answer 53

France

Question 54

In 2018, what Croatian striker became the first player ever to score an own goal in a FIFA World Cup final? His embarrassment was hopefully reduced when he scored the second of Croatia’s goals later in the game, although they still lost 4-2 to France.

Answer 54

Mario Mandžukić

[pronounced “mand-zookitch”]

Question 55

Born in 1986 and currently playing for Orlando Pride, what striker holds the record for most goals scored at FIFA Women’s World Cups, with 17 goals across 5 tournaments? In fact, she is the only player of either gender to score at 5 FIFA World Cup tournaments, and is Brazil’s all-time international top scorer (male or female), with 115 goals.

Answer 55

Marta / Marta Vieira da Silva

(accept first name alone or either surname)

Question 56

What was the only FIFA World Cup to date which featured all four of the “Home Nations” - England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland? It was the first World Cup Northern Ireland qualified for, and the only one for Wales to date. You will
need to give the year AND the host country.

Answer 56

1958 / Sweden (need both)

Question 57

Directed by Sylvester Stallone (of all people), what was the title of the 1983 sequel to Saturday Night Fever ? The sequel takes its name from the Bee Gees song which played over the iconic opening credits of the original film.

Answer 57

Staying Alive

Question 58

“This time it’s personal” was the memorable tagline for which unmemorable movie sequel? Released in 1987, this film starred Michael Caine and was the 4th and last to date in the Jaws series.

Answer 58

Jaws: The Revenge

(prompt on “Jaws 4”)

Question 59

The 1994 Western comedy Wagons East! , co-starring Richard Lewis, was the final film of what Canadian actor and comedian, who sadly died of a heart attack during production, aged 43?

Answer 59

John Candy

Question 60

Name the 2018 mystery thriller which starred Billy Bob Thornton as a terminally ill writer suffering from writer’s block? Set
and filmed in England and co-starring Amber Heard and Cara Delevingne, the film shares its name with the 1989 Martin
Amis novel on which it is based.

Answer 60

London Fields

Question 61

Arguably the most famous work by English writer Evelyn Waugh, what 1945 novel is subtitled The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder ? It was adapted into a landmark TV mini-series in 1981.

Answer 61

Brideshead Revisited

Question 62

What American heavy metal band released their first EP in 1987, the snappily-titled The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days ReRevisited ? It consisted of 5 cover versions of songs originally by various British heavy metal and American punk bands, and was released the year after their first gold-certified album, Master of Puppets.

Answer 62

Metallica

Question 63

Often called the “Blues Highway” because of its long association with blues music, what major United States thoroughfare
runs between Louisiana and Minnesota, generally following the course of the Mississippi River? This road was “revisited” in the title of a famous 1965 album by Bob Dylan.

Answer 63

Highway 61

Question 64

Adapted into the 1954 film The Last Time I Saw Paris starring Elizabeth Taylor, who wrote the 1930 short story Babylon
Revisited ? This author wrote more than 160 other short stories during his career, including The Ice Palace and The Offshore Pirate .

Answer 64

F Scott Fitzgerald

Question 65

If America is “Good Humor”, Australia is “Streets” and the UK is “Wall’s”, what two letters are Ireland?

Answer 65

HB

(ice cream brands owned by Unilever)

Question 66

Of the 50 two-letter US state abbreviations, what is the only one where both letters are vowels? Please answer with the abbreviation, not the state name.

Answer 66

IA

(Iowa)

Question 67

Born in Lurgan, County Armagh in 1867, under what two-letter pseudonym did Irish writer and poet George William Russell
publish most of his work?

Answer 67

AE

Question 68

What is the two-letter Internet country domain for Algeria? Unusually, neither of these letters appear in the English name
of the country.

Answer 68

DZ

(from Dzayer , the Berber name for the country)